Unaccredited PhD Poll

Which of the following Unaccredited schools would you selected as having the best overall quality behind a PhD degree; remember this isn't about the RA/NA/SA -vs- UnA argument just about the basic question.

 

No vote. First, this is a hair-splitting question. Second, one's choice is complicated by so many factors that could, ultimately, make one school a better choice over others.

For the most part, the quality schools from the good old days (Walden, Fielding, Union, Sarasota, Saybrook, etc.) either got accredited or went out of business (or both).

There is no compelling reason for pursuing a degree from most unaccredited schools, except those clearly on an accreditation track. Even then it's risky. A school might look like its heading for accreditation, but it might fail in that effort.

 

None of the above - I would pick a DETC school as a second choice to RA (or equiv foreign) schools

 

Unaccredited schools, such as those listed, generally do not make detailed and trustworthy information about their programs available to third parties (such as accreditation agencies, or even just interested people like those here at degreeinfo). In the absence of such data, there is no solid basis for recommending one over another.

This may be why you seem to be having trouble making a decision. Unfortunately, we don't know any more than you do.

You might as well ask us to pick the best movie, then give us a list of films that we haven't seen, and which haven't been screened for the movie critics.

 

WTF? I'll chose the pile of sh*t in the corner over there! "Get thee away from me [unaccredited degrees]"!!!

 

I suppose you mean for management or business administration Ph.D. degree...?

As I've said before, the need to pursue an unaccredited Ph.D. seems extremely limited these days, given all the regionally-accredited programs available. That said, California Pacific University has a good program and I suppose that you could do much worse than California Southern / SCUPS... The others I don't know enough about.

Dave

 

At least with California Southern U, their MA, Psy D and JD programs meet the educational standards to sit for licensure/bar in that state. That in itself gives some indications of quality to the programs.

 

None of the above would be my choice. Why would one go through the work for a unrecognized credential.

Shawn

 

I know Charles Dalton of CPU is not the same person as Theron Dalton, longtime owner of Newport, because I've met them both, so I guess it's just a coincidence that two men named Dalton were running two very similar (at the time) unaccredited schools in southern California at the same time.

 

California University of Business and Technology

I've often wondered about the rigor and utility of the Ed.D. and D.B.A. at this CA school:

http://www.cubt.edu

Dave

 

I would go with none of the above. Why do the work if there may be a "shadow of doubt" especially for a PhD which is probably not required for anything except teach...which this degree will not help any way.

 

Who knows? The BPPVE isn't equipped to perform a meaningful evaluation of schools, so California Approval has little meaning. It might be a good school with well-meaning employees conducting a worthwhile program. But there's no one external to the school in a position to tell you that.

 

I disagree. The very existence of soooo many diploma mills and unaccredited schools--not to mention real schools and programs focused on working professionals--belies this. The doctorate--real or spurious--is a hot item. I suspect the vast majority of graduates from legitimate, accredited DL doctoral programs work outside academia. That almost certainly goes for purchasers of fake doctorates, too.

In my experience as a corporate trainer and independent consultant, the doctorate is a very big deal. On the team I currently support, 5 of 10 people in the training shop hold doctorates, two of which were earned mid-career. (The other three earned doctorates first, then eventually worked into the training field.)

I can see why an accomplished person would be tempted to embellish his/her credentials with a quickie fake doctorate. But I don't understand going from temptation to actually doing it, since the exposure of such a degree--even from a pretty legitimate source like California Coast--can bring such heartache and professional embarrassment.

 

I agree except that if there is NO other way for individual to pursue their research interests in a particular discipline, or if there is NO other way to afford such an endeavor, then it sort of makes sense to look at legitimate unaccredited schools. (I'm not a huge fan of off-shore doctorates but if you think you could go to SA for a trip or two, and you don't mind waiting long periods of time, that could be an affordable option.)

Another example is that companies blow enormous wads of dough for executive training, when a DBA or PhD in business from one of the above polled schools, centered on an applied business problem, could yield great rewards for the company and the executive. On the other hand, there are now a good number of such DL regionally-accredited programs available at 5 to 10 times the cost of the unaccredited schools.

In sum, whether these programs are suitable really depends upon the individual's circumstances, and the only application for which you really need a doctorate is to look for a full time teaching gig in higher education.

Dave

 

I guess that I agree with everyone else and would reply 'none of the above'.

I think that the way to approach this is, first of all, to ask yourself why you want an advanced degree. If it's just for ego-expansion or for self-marketing purposes, then you might want to rethink your motives and your plans. Is a big shiny doctorate really necessary?

If you have ambitions to enter a regulated profession, then you need to familiarize yourself with licensing requirements wherever you are. Not only that, you need to know about things like hiring, placements and insurance reimbursement. You also need to think about how the general public would perceive you and about what your reception might be by your professional peers. Would you find yourself on the flaky margin of your profession or something?

If you are pursuing a doctorate because you have advanced scholarly interests in something, then you probably should look for a school that displays some intellectual life in your subject.

That's especially critical if you are anticipating earning an unaccredited degree. You can expect it to be questioned somewhere along the line. Somebody will assume that 'unaccredited' equates to 'degree mill' and will sneer at you. You have to anticipate that and think about what your response will be.

It's possible to present a persuasive defense of your school if it is a leader in something. You could point at unique features of your program that other competent people would find attractive if they only knew about them.

Ok, so... do any of the schools on this list fit that description:

Southern California University
California Pacific University
Preston University
California Miramar University

Not that I can see. Making a persuasive case for any of these is going to be difficult. Some are worse than others, I guess. But I'm not interested in discussing that, since it might be interpeted as a vote for the least-worst of the lot.

 

"Southern California University" is currently running second in the poll.

Unfortunately, there is no "Southern California University". Possibly the poll-taker means "California Southern University". But if this is the case, then "California Southern University" doesn't even offer the PhD degree.

You have to wonder how much thought went into the preparation of this poll, or into the responses.

 

Yes, the pollster is (imprecisely but undoubtedly) referring to California Southern University (formerly known as Southern California University for Professional Studies [SCUPS]) and, presumably, the Psy.D. and D.B.A. degrees offered by that institution.

Dave

 

The PhD and DBA are required for many positions in the aerospace and phamaceutical industries. My last employer's education policy not only paid full tuition but paid a big bonus for a doctorate.

 

If the pollster is referring to the PsyD, then the poll seems unnecessary, because California Southern University ("Southern California University") is the only one of the listed schools to offer this degree.

 

I would say that is the exception rather then the rule. I have never claimed to know everything...although my wife says I do (make the claim that is).